24H Le Mans, 4H update: Doriane Pin leads in LMP2

Four hours into the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, Doriane Pin leads the LMP2 category for the Duqueine Team.

Photo credits: DPPI

Four hours into the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, Doriane Pin’s Duqueine Team squad has been one of the strongest contenders in the LMP2 class, converting the pace that made them the benchmark throughout practice and qualifying into an early race lead.

Meanwhile, Lilou Wadoux’s Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari has steadily climbed the LMGT3 order after starting deep in the field, recovering from 19th on the grid to run just outside the top ten as the race settled into its rhythm.

The legendary endurance classic got underway under warm sunshine at Circuit de la Sarthe, with packed grandstands and enormous crowds creating a spectacular atmosphere for the world's most famous endurance race. Although the number of female drivers on the main Le Mans grid is smaller than in recent years, both Pin and Wadoux arrived with genuine hopes of strong results.

Pin had been one of the stars of the event before the race even began. Driving the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca, she topped practice, secured first place in the first LMP2 qualifying with a record-setting lap, and helped position the team among the class favorites. Starting sixth in class, the opening stint was entrusted to teammate Julien Andlauer.

Wadoux returned to Le Mans in the #150 Richard Mille Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 after another impressive season across multiple championships. The Ferrari started 19th in LMGT3, with bronze-rated Brazilian driver Custodio Toledo tasked with handling the difficult opening stint.

Andlauer wasted no time making progress when the race began. A superb start saw the Frenchman move into fifth through the opening corners before quickly advancing to third. He then continued his charge by overtaking Quinn in the CrowdStrike by APR entry to claim second position in LMP2.

At the front, Andlauer immediately locked onto the tail of the leading #28 IDEC Sport Oreca driven by Job van Uitert. The Duqueine driver consistently ran within half a second of the leader while simultaneously maintaining a comfortable cushion of more than two seconds to the car behind.

As the first round of LMP2 pit stops began around the half-hour mark, Andlauer stretched his fuel stint and inherited the class lead on lap nine. He finally pitted one lap later and, after the opening service cycle, rejoined fourth. The race soon swung back in his favor. Following a starting infringement penalty for Esteban Masson's car, Andlauer moved forward again and overtook Cameron's AO by TF machine to reclaim third place.

In LMGT3, Custodio Toledo took a measured approach to the opening phase of the race. After a clean getaway, he settled into 22nd position and began managing the Ferrari's pace. Throughout the week, Ferrari teams had struggled somewhat with straight-line speed mainly due to a difficult BoP, making race pace and strategy especially important.

Toledo circulated consistently in the 4:00 range and remained competitive among the bronze-rated drivers. When the Proton Competition Ford of Gattuso pitted with an issue on lap seven, Toledo moved up to 21st. As LMGT3 pit stops started around the 40-minute mark, Toledo stayed out longer than many rivals. He briefly cycled as high as 16th before making his first stop and rejoining 21st after the pit sequence concluded.

The Brazilian then began making steady progress. He closed rapidly on Martin Berry's Mercedes, which had earlier suffered an off-track excursion, and overtook him for 20th place. Soon afterward, he started hunting down Antares Au's Garage 59 McLaren.

Back in LMP2, when the leading pair stopped on lap 20, Andlauer briefly reclaimed the class lead before making his own stop on lap 21. Remaining in the car, he rejoined second, approximately three seconds behind van Uitert. His pace remained remarkably consistent, keeping the gap to the leader stable while steadily extending his advantage over the third-placed Inter Europol Competition Oreca to more than ten seconds.

As van Uitert pitted on lap 31, Andlauer inherited the lead before stopping a lap later and handing the Oreca over to Richard Verschoor. Once the sequence played out, the #30 machine emerged ahead of the #28 IDEC Sport car. When the Inter Europol contender subsequently made its stop, Verschoor officially became the LMP2 race leader. With Paul-Loup Chatin replaced by Paul Lafargue in the IDEC entry, Verschoor immediately began extending the gap and soon established a ten-second advantage.

Toledo's opening stint continued to exceed expectations; running a longer strategy than many rivals, he pitted from 14th place on lap 20 and emerged in an even stronger position after the cycle played out.

He quickly passed West to move into 13th place, delivering a solid bronze-driver stints in LMGT3.

The recovering Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin driven by Clément Mateu eventually found a way past Toledo on lap 27, dropping the Ferrari back to 14th, but the overall performance remained encouraging. When the Richard Mille Ferrari stopped again on lap 30, Toledo handed the car over to Riccardo Agostini after a clean, mistake-free opening double stint. Having started 19th, the team had already climbed significantly through the field and rejoined 17th after the driver change.

A dramatic moment arrived on lap 36 when the Verschoor encountered Ferrari Hypercar driver Antonio Fuoco during a battle involving the Toyota Hypercar. Fuoco launched a late move on the inside and made contact with the Duqueine Oreca, spinning himself around in the process. Verschoor completed a slow lap afterward but escaped without damage and continued at full pace.

As another pit sequence approached, Verschoor remained consistently among the fastest drivers in class. After stopping on lap 34, one lap later than several rivals, he emerged from the cycle with a commanding 22-second lead over the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca.

By the third hour of racing, that advantage had increased to around 30 seconds over Louis Rousset's chasing machine.

Agostini immediately lowered the Ferrari's best lap time after taking over, recording a 3:57.5 and beginning a determined recovery through the LMGT3 field. He overtook West before passing Antares Au one lap later. The Italian then caught and passed Clément Mateu to reclaim 14th place before setting a rapid 3:56.6 lap and turning his attention toward Ben Keating's Corvette. The move came on lap 42, elevating the Ferrari to 13th.

Agostini's momentum continued as he erased an 11-second deficit to Peter Dempsey's Corvette in only a handful of laps before completing another pass on lap 49. A brief Full Course Yellow for debris at the Dunlop Chicane shortly after the three-hour mark did little to interrupt his progress.

Subsequent pit stops briefly elevated the Ferrari into the top ten before Agostini made his own stop on lap 51. Remaining behind the wheel, he emerged 12th and continued to push forward.

Three and a half hours into the race, it was finally Doriane Pin's turn to join the action.

Verschoor brought the leading Oreca into pit lane for the fifth stop, handing the car over to the Frenchwoman while the team still held the LMP2 lead.

As rival cars completed their own stops over the next few laps, Pin reassumed the top position.

She immediately demonstrated the speed that had made her headlines earlier in the week; her first flying lap was a 3:39.4, instantly placing her among the fastest drivers in class. She followed that with laps in the 3:38 range, becoming one of only a handful of drivers capable of running below the 3:40 barrier at that stage of the race.

Four hours into the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, Doriane Pin leads the LMP2 category in a strong performance from the entire Duqueine Team lineup of Pin, Verschoor and Andlauer.

In LMGT3, Lilou Wadoux has yet to take over the Ferrari, but the #150 Richard Mille Racing entry has already climbed from 19th on the grid to 11th in class thanks to strong opening stints from Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini.

With twenty hours still remaining, both female drivers aim at strong results at Le Mans.